Friday, March 31, 2006

Indian Doctor Sentenced for Ultrasounds

"An Indian court sentenced a doctor to two years in prison for using ultrasound tests to determine the sex of fetuses, the first physician convicted for flouting a law designed to end an epidemic of parents aborting female fetuses, officials said Wednesday.

After the 2001 census revealed the toll of female abortions, women's rights groups launched a campaign to pressure authorities to act against doctors breaking the ultrasound law.

'In 12 years of the law being in force, this is the first time the government has taken action,' said Ranjana Kumari, an activist with the New Delhi-based Center for Social Research."